The Slave Deeds of Asheboro, NC

In The Slave Deeds of Asheboro, NC: Volume I, historian Justin Goldston offers the first in-depth, illustrated edition of Randolph County's earliest slave-sale records. This volume begins with Document I - the sale of the slave "Reubin" (Book 29, p. 111; July 14, 1849), in which estate administrators sell a young boy named Reubin to Sarah Craven. Goldston presents high-resolution facsimiles of the original 1849 deed, a diplomatic transcription, and an annotated modern-English translation that decodes the legal formalities-from "highest bidder" procedures to the administrators' title warranty-that turned human lives into property.

This foundational volume lays the groundwork for a multi-part series that will reveal the personal names, ages, family connections, and legal instruments-bills of sale, gift deeds, manumissions-documenting the lived experience of enslavement in the Piedmont. The Slave Deeds of Asheboro, NC is indispensable for scholars of legal and social history, genealogists tracing African-American lineages, and any reader determined to confront and understand the enduring legacy of slavery in small-town America.

Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible without the pioneering archive at SlaveDeeds.org, created by Wil Braswell with support from the Randolph County/Asheboro NAACP and its President, Clyde Foust; Chuck Egerton; Ty Breuilly; and Jane Braswell. Their dedication to preserving and sharing these vital records has opened a new window on our collective past.